Examination of the Lumbar Movement Pattern during a Clinical Test and a Functional Activity Test in People with and without Low Back Pain.
Andrej V Marich, Ching-Ting Hwang, Christopher J Sorensen and 1 others
PMID 31140705WHAT IT FOUND
Lumbar movement patterns during a clinical forward bend test closely match those used during a functional pick-up task.
Early lumbar excursion predicts functional limitation in people with chronic low back pain, suggesting clinical tests can reflect real-world movement issues.
Key findings
01Lumbar excursion from 0–50% of movement time during the clinical forward bending test was significantly associated with lumbar excursion from 0–50% of movement time during the functional pick-up object test (r = 0.73, p < .01).
02In participants with low back pain, lumbar excursion from 0–50% of movement time during the forward bending test was significantly associated with self-reported functional limitation (r = 0.43, p = .02).
03People with low back pain demonstrated significantly more lumbar excursion from 0–50% of movement time during the pick-up object test compared to back-healthy participants when movement time was controlled (p = .04).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (48 participants total). The functional task involved picking up an object from a scaled position with standardized instructions, which may not reflect typical daily lifting behaviors. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot determine if the movement patterns cause the pain or are a result of it.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a patient's lumbar movement pattern during a simple clinical test is identical to their movement during complex daily activities. The association was strong but not perfect, and the clinical test explained less variance in functional limitation than the functional test itself.